


It's Broken

by Stratagem



Series: Among the Gifted [7]
Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, Mutant Underground, subtle Thunderblink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 05:29:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12474524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: Something clicks in the back of John's mind. Something he has been wondering about for a while but told himself it was stupid. That Sonia wouldn't do that, not when he told her not to, but…





	It's Broken

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The Gifted!
> 
> A/N: Post S1E3! Thunderblink is killing me right now, y'all.

John stops on the landing of the stairs, looking down into the common area of the Mutant Underground HQ. It's after sunset, and people are spread out around the HQ, winding down from the long day and the unexpected excitement.

The Strucker kids are sprawled out on a couple couches, Lauren reading a tattered copy of _Watership Down_ while Andy messes with some magnets. Those were Lorna's, a small collection of that she used to sit there and play with on evenings like this. She would send them flying around the room, darting them into small spaces and back out again, perfecting her skills. Maybe Andy can use them for now until she gets back, practice breaking things apart by focusing on pulling apart the magnetic connection.

Lorna wouldn't mind.

Caitlin isn't far away from her kids, but she's reading something on one of the few tablets that the Underground has. John hopes she's reading up on the few articles that are out there about mutant medicine. He won't lie, they could use a medic around here. That doctor over in Decatur is good, but he's far away from HQ, which doesn't work for emergencies like they had with Clarice.

Speaking of Clarice, she's not in the common area. He's not sure where she's gotten off to, but Zingo is missing too. Maybe they're off together. He hopes she's okay…they still haven't talked about what Dreamer did. They need to, he knows they do, but he assumes that Sonia will tell her. She will…won't she?

John leans on the banister, fingers tightening on the railing. Five-year-old Riley is sitting in Dreamer's lap, playing with her bright red hair, trying to braid it but instead turning it into a thick tangled mess. This is a normal scene, it's common, but now something clicks in the back of John's mind. Something he has been wondering about for a while but told himself it was stupid. That Sonia wouldn't do that, not when he told her not to, but…

He thinks about Clarice, about the strange trusting look in her eyes, about how Sonia had tried to excuse it. About how Sonia did the exact opposite of what he asked her to do. He thinks about Riley's sleepwalking habit and how it had suddenly gone away only to come back recently.

"Riley," he says, his voice cutting across the common area, "Come here." It's not really a request, it's an order, and everyone knows it. Riley tenses and looks up at him with wide eyes, and he regrets the tone. He's not angry at her, but he can tell she thinks he is. But behind her, Sonia loops an arm around the girl, holding her in a quick tight hug, meeting John's eyes. She already knows why he wants to get Riley away from her.

"Please," John says, gentler, as he looks at Riley. As she wriggles out of Sonia's hold, John frowns at Dreamer. She frowns back.

John turns his attention to the five-year-old as she hurries up the stairs, her wings fluttering with worry.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asks, one hand looping around a stair bannister. Her gaze darts to the railing John is clenching and her eyebrows jump up her forehead. "You're breaking it."

John instantly lets go and silently curses himself and the cracks in the wood that hadn't been there a minute ago. He hasn't broken something like that in a long time, he's always so careful. John sighs, his head hanging forward. He's not himself tonight. He's shaken. There's a lot going on lately, and he misses Lorna, his partner in leading this whole thing. Marcos is too focused on saving Lorna to step into her spot, Sonia isn't…she's not the leader type. Sage doesn't want to lead, neither does Shatter. Without Lorna, John is trying to keep this place together the best he can on his own, and he's worried he's not doing it right. Maybe he's screwing up.

Every time he tells someone to do something, they do the opposite. Great leadership right there. Lots of respect.

A small hand slips into his, and Riley's tiny fingers squeeze his. "It's okay. It's not bad." She's leaning forward, poking at the railing with her other hand. Her smile is quick and sweet and hesitant as she gives his hand another squeeze. "It's not bad," she says again, obviously wanting to comfort him. Even after seeing him splinter the hardwood railing, she not afraid of his strength. "Are you mad?"

John brushes his hand over Riley's hair. "Not at you."

"You okay, Johnny?"

Sonia puts one foot on the landing and stops. Without realizing what he's doing, Johnny takes a step forward, putting himself between Sonia and Riley. It's an unconscious movement, but it says exactly what he wants to tell her.

He glances back over his shoulder at Riley, who is watching the two of them, her dark eyes confused. She can tell something has changed, that it's not the same anymore.

"Time to go get ready for bed, kiddo."

Normally she might put up a fuss, but she nods. "Can someone tell me a story?" she asks both of them, dark eyes flicking from one to the other.

"I will later," John says, looking at Sonia.

Riley's wings pull in tight, tucking around her like a cloak. She does that when she's upset. She hugs John's side and then takes off, heading for the room she and couple other kids share.

Sonia steps onto the landing and gets close, too close for him at the moment. "What was that about?"

He nods up the stairs, and they move away from the others, ducking into an alcove. They need to have a discussion, right now, but he doesn't want to embarrass her in front of everyone by confronting her in the common area. He crosses his arms over his chest before locking eyes with her. "Did you use your ability on Riley? Is that why she stopped sleepwalking?" She's silent for too long, and John sucks in a breath. He doesn't clench his fists, but his jaw tightens. "Damn it, Sonia. You said you wouldn't."

"She wasn't sleeping!" Sonia hisses, her eyes narrowed, "Those nightmares…it wasn't fair, Johnny."

John holds up a hand. "That wasn't your choice to make. We agreed that it would be better for her to get past it naturally. We _all_ did." The two of them, Marcos, Lorna, Sage, a few others. It had been a team meeting on how to help Riley, and Sage had said the odds were better for Riley in the long run if she got past it without Sonia's help.

And Sonia had gone against all of that.

"She's just a little girl, and I wasn't going to let her just suffer like that," Sonia said, her eyes blazing, "She was _so_ tired, you remember."

He did. He remembered Riley falling asleep in the middle of the day, dark circles under her eyes, her tired stare. He remembered scooping her up and walking the then four-year-old around the HQ, trying to get her to sleep without nightmares. He had been up with her so often, trying to steer her back to bed, trying to keep her calm…He had hoped that she was getting better. It had seemed like she was.

"I knew I could fix it. I just gave her a few dreams every now and then, just little things. It didn't hurt her."

"It was temporary," John said, shaking his head, "It was never going to work forever."

"I knew that," Sonia said, "But it helped her to sleep again."

"For a while." John rubs a hand over his mouth, lost for words again. "Have you done it to me?"

"What?" Sonia looks wounded, like he had hit her. "Johnny. Of course not."

He nods, suddenly tired. So tired. He doesn't know whether to believe her or not. He wants to believe her.

But Clarice's face flashes in his mind. Snarky Clarice with her trust issues suddenly rushing into his arms…

He wants to believe Sonia. Part of him still cares for her, still feels _something_. That's been there too long not to feel anything. But he's not sure if he can trust her anymore.

He walks away.

The railing isn't the only thing that's broken.


End file.
